The MOON Team

Prophet Blade stood back a bit as he waited for the others to make their attacks. He waited for several moments, and yet, nothing. Words. Why were they talking to this monster? It had killed Vani, hadn't it? Turning around, he watched in time to see Pink running away, with Ty and the fire-gal running behind. Why were they leaving? Didn't they want revenge? The sudden shock of seeing them running away sated Pro-B's rage, allowing him to think slightly more clearly. They didn't see a body. Did they not believe the human had killed her anymore? Turning back to the tall creature, he eyed her once more, less of a glare in his eyes.

He wasn't able to react, however, when her dagger blade was coming straight for him. Cringing for the last time, he waited for the sharp pain of death. The death of a hero. And yet, it didn't come. Turning his head to the side slightly, he saw the undead Clefable that had been about to kill him. Her dagger was sticking out of its head. She had saved him? Why would she do that? Looking around, he saw even more of the undead little creeps circling around. Looking once more at the human, he turned his back, standing next to the wolf. "I..." He tried to stammer. "I'll help you." He said, tears falling from his eyes. Confused beyond what his heroic mind could handle, he raised his arms in defence. He owed his life to this human now, and he always repayed his debts.

"....Fine."

Pink had the faintest inkling that Typhus wasn’t in the best of moods – and that, he was somehow responsible for this shift in demeanour. Looking over the grouchy youth, a frown hanging over bulbous eyes, the Espeon gave a snort of disapproval before moving on. If that kid didn’t snap out of it soon, he would give him something to truly be pissed off about. Still, patience was a virtue. The circumstances were admittedly a little stressful and Pink couldn’t say he was exactly a gentleman when an undead was gnawing on his leg. Perhaps an exception seemed fitting – just this once.

Trotting ahead, Ty in tow, Pink turned at the sound of movement and a faint glow in his periphery, eyes soon latched onto the limping Quilava. It was rare that the feline didn’t enjoy a woman’s company, but this particular specimen had proven herself quite the bitch. A little fight was good – a rebellious streak exciting – but all out venom was something Pink hadn’t the energy to tame. Then again, eye candy – no matter how bitter the taste – could never be a bad thing.
“Alright, swee’heart?” Pink called back, smirking unpleasantly as he acknowledged her limp. Had she had that before? He couldn’t remember, didn’t particularly care – she could look after herself.

But what about Pro-B…

Halted by the thought, he looked back to the carnage they’d passed; the mantis’ billowing cape was stark against the sickly pale shade of the Clefairy, the fight still burning bright within him. Most pokémon would’ve felt some guilt at the sight, abandoning a companion still striving for victory – not Pink. The guy was clearly mentally unsound. He thought he was a superhero for fuck’s sake! But then again, he was the most bearable of the bunch – and that was saying something. Hissing to himself, the Espeon shrugged away those foreign emotions of loyalty, cursed chivalry, and began trotting away.

Ty’s paws where moving on autopilot. He could feel himself moving, but his mind was just not registering the stimuli right now, it was too busy thinking. Everything felt off, like all this was one big dream, or even worse, a hallucination induced by Ty’s long hermitage in that hole… That’d he’d snap out of his stupor any second now, and realize that none of this ever happened. And to tell the truth, he wasn’t sure if he felt despised that idea or not…..If this was all made up, it’d mean he would have never lost anyone, that no one he knew actually died on him. That everything was okay, and all the bad things are just a figment of his imagination. But….if that where true, then it would mean that Vani didn’t exist, neither did the rest of the group…..And that made him even more depressed. He would hate to wake up and realize that he still had no one to call a friend, that he was alone again.

This line of thinking was just driving Ty insane.

Not knowing what was real or not was messing him up, and that could cause him his life any second, assuming this right now was real of course…

So he figured to just start with the basics, to figure out what he knew; the facts.

My Name is Typhus. My Mother is Dead. I never knew my father. All my siblings are either dead or long gone. After the dead started walking, I hid in a hole for a while. That solrock almost blinded me. I went to this cave for safety. I met Vani, Pink, Magic, and Pro-B here. Vani was nice and protective. Magic was sweet but frail. Pro-B is….strange….And Pink is self-centered.

We separated. Vani and I separated again. Magic died then. No one did anything for her. I got angry, still nothing happened. The Bitch showed up, she was….bitchy….Vani went missing. Clefairy attacked. The
human and a hound must have killed Vani. And Pink wanted me to run off with him. I reluctantly followed. That Bitch came along. We are now on the run.

Wait…..

Ty had to repeat those last few lines to himself. Something about that was just….wrong to him. The facts where right, but the reasoning behind it was strange. Yeah, when Ty first meet Pink, he figured the Espeon was amazing, and Ty wanted to be like him, but throughout the encounter, the espeon has only shown to be out for himself. So….why did Pink want Typhus to run off with him?


“Ty! We should go, kid,"

It took a while to figure out the espeon’s exact words, but even when Ty remembered, it seemed so off to him. Pink had called for him, not Pro-B, not that quilava who he was flirting with earlier, but him, Ty. Why though? As far as he could remember, him and Pink had been on each other’s nerves. The only good memory was their introduction, after that it all went downhill. Yet there it was, the Espeon’s exact words in the heat of battle. The facts, but still no answer to the question of why…..

Typhus finally halted in his retreat.

“Why.”

Of course he knew the espeon would not be able to read his mind, but he figured it would help to at least halt the other first.

“I’m still mad at you, You’re still mad at me. And you know I won’t let Vani’s killers go like that, I’ll eventually go back to find them. So why didn’t you just run off alone? Why tell ME to go with you? Not her, not Pro-B. You said 'Ty'...... Why?”

Ty knew now was probably not the best time to be asking such things, hell, this question could wait. But not to Typhus it couldn’t. After all the uncertainties he was dealing with right now, all the emotions he was forced to drown in since coming into this cave. He needed some answers, any answer. Something to tell him that Pink isn’t just a figment of his imagination trying to keep this illusion going. That Pink was his own being, and in turn, prove that Vani was real.


((So....umm.....things accidentally got all deep and shit for Ty, i really didn't expect this :|))

“Alright, swee’heart?” Ripley heard the strange, scraggly espeon call, earning a small grunt from her out of pure effort. The lanky cat's legs were already much longer than her own, and she was working on a gimp. Needless to say, it took a lot for her to even try to keep up, much less actually staying fairly close to the trailing eevee behind him. She hobbled onward until she nearly ran into the eevee when he stopped.

“Why.” Ripley stared at the pup, confused frown set as her expression. “I’m still mad at you, You’re still mad at me. And you know I won’t let Vani’s killers go like that, I’ll eventually go back to find them. So why didn’t you just run off alone? Why tell ME to go with you? Not her, not Pro-B. You said 'Ty'...... Why?”

Ripley's eyes volleyed between the two, her lip curling a little in distaste. This... was something that wasn't her fight. Strangely finding herself in the middle of a very closed, intimate argument, she turned to look back at the clefairy horde, making sure there were none trailing them. It seemed they were alone, the fairies too preoccupied with the strange bug that stayed and the dog with his human pet. Good. Maybe the undead would actually be useful for once and kill them off. She turned back, hobbling a little further away to distance herself. I suppose I can rest my wrist while these two lovebirds settle this out.

Amalas waited for the Leavanny to strike, knowing without her last weapon she was defenseless against it. Dremus was fending off the faeries while she was forced to back up against a tree to keep her back from being exposed. It wasn't the first time she and her Companion had been surrounded without her a weapon, but it was the first time the ambush was already dead. Unaware of what harm she had caused these Pokemon Amalas had left the diplomacy to Dremus, but she could tell by his stance and his growls that it didn't go over well.

But death at her Companion's side was the most honorable death she could achieve.

Dremus was being forced back, the rogue undead becoming more and more forceful as their numbers dwindled, until he felt his haunches touching Amalas's leg. "Shit!" he cursed, throwing up a Protect last second as one of the Clefairy lunged. He kept one eye on the leaf Pokemon as best he could, not sure what he would do now that his Companion was unarmed, but rather than strike something seemed to change in his expression.

"I..."
"I'll help you."

Both human and Pokemon looked at the Leavanny in confusion. Amalas had no idea what he had said, but the fact that he took up position beside Dremus to defend her was answer enough. He was on their side. Dremus howled in renewed vigor as he crunched down on one of the annoying pink nuisances with his Ice Fang, turning back to the Leavanny with a smile. "Thanks. From both of us."

((Now that Ciana is back, we can have the horde die off with her return. There shouldn't be many of them left anyway. XD))

“Why.”

Pink stopped, an exasperated groan escaping him. He’d forgotten how much he hated kids. Large ears twitching, he composed his scraggly features before half-calming looking over his shoulder to meet Typhus’ face. The Eevee’s expression halted the feline’s vicious retaliation, the latter slowly absorbing the bitter confusion that his brother embodied. If he was anyone else, Pink would have snapped. The kid hadn’t even said anything yet and already, the Espeon knew it would only worsen his already sour mood.

“I’m still mad at you, You’re still mad at me. And you know I won’t let Vani’s killers go like that, I’ll eventually go back to find them. So why didn’t you just run off alone? Why tell ME to go with you? Not her, not Pro-B. You said 'Ty'...... Why?”

The psychic-type’s jaw fell open at the bombardment of questions, eyes widening a fraction at Ty’s uncanny abilities of perception. Oh shit… Tail lashing, Charlie shuffled around to face the Eevee fully, watching his hard expression for some sort of guidance. The cat was literally speechless. Ty couldn’t know. Ty wouldn’t want to be related to him and Pink himself didn’t want the burden of such an alien sense of loyalty, of family. Then again, he was already falling into that trap.
“Uh…” The earlier hostility sapped from his being, Pink’s mood evidently prone to immense fluctuation, the cat looked for guidance from the Quilava. Of course, he would get none. The female had already hobbled on ahead, leaving the psychic suffocated by the unsaid tension in the air. “… ‘Cause you’re cool – y’know?” The lie was laughable, the situation almost comedic with the accompanying grin that Pink forced for sincerities sake.

Fortunately, fate seemed to be on his side as he was quickly distracted by a gust from overhead. Attention shifting at the first opportunity, the Espeon witnessed a feathery, pinkish blur fly overhead. Not wanting to know what other miscreant had deemed it fit to join the party, the cat ushered Typhus on.
“It’s just – I have a soft spot for kids,” He blabbed, only afterwards realizing what exactly he’d just said. “No! I-I-I mean – I don’t like kids!” He spluttered, panicked. “I mean I do but not in that way! Like an uncle or a brothe- I-I… Wait… Garland?” Charlie’s verbal explosion was cut short as he caught familiar movements in his periphery. Now standing to look at the Swanna, the avian battling the Clefairy with only the precision and grace of an assassin, a sense of recognition kicked in.

---

Garland had lost track of how far and how long he’d been flying. He’d crossed oceans, passing countless land masses until exhaustion had forced him to land. A quick nap and he’d been revitalized enough to voyage away from the tree he’d sought a temporary haven in. Now, he had managed to lose himself in the expansive area surrounding some godforsaken mountain.

It had only been the sounds of struggle, voices, which had prevented him from moving on in his travels. Instead, he’d followed them – silent until stumbling onto the chaotic scene. Enticed by the pungent aroma of blood, the swan saw the battle as a gift, practically exhilarated to find a bit of action within such a desolate world. Of course, he’d disposed of the flock that had endangered his last lot of company, but a creature of Garland’s nature was prone to extreme and painful boredom. Thankfully, that was about to change.

Gliding onto the scene on large, lofty wings, Garland’s oceanic eyes were set on a small congregation of undead advancing towards the three, lone battlers. He passed by their cowardly companions, giving an indignant snort as he flew overhead, making a mental note to deal with the trio later. Now, Vito’s words were ringing clear in his mind. Garland would play the hero, protect and preserve life rather than strive to eradicate it.

Descended into the midst of battle, Garland greeted one unfortunate Clefairy with a well-aimed Air Slash, resulting in decapitation, before landing harshly on another two. Raking sharpened claws into their thrashing bodies, the Swanna’s beak soon delved directly between one of the creature’s eyes – plunging to tear at bloodied brain tissue. Slinging the creature to one side, its near-gutted companion sharing a similar fate, the swan raised his head to acknowledge new allies.
“Mornin’,” He grinned, amiable. Whilst the presence of a human was a rather foreign occurrence, Garland was more excited than anything. He knew little of their kind yet remained fascinated by their curious little ways – the chance of meeting one was something the bird remained unwilling to sacrifice.

“… ‘Cause you’re cool – y’know?”

A few hours ago, Ty would have been jumping for joy just from hearing that. To hear the one he had thought of as simply awesome enough to not care about his appearance, who was witty always had one-liner comebacks to praise him, it would have been heavenly. But now….it wasn’t what he was looking for, the praise just went over his head, especially since it didn’t sound sincere.

“It’s just – I have a soft spot for kids, No! I-I-I mean – I don’t like kids! I mean I do but not in that way! Like an uncle or a brothe- I-I… Wait… Garland?”

And the espeon was rambling now. As soon as something out of content is thrown at him, Pink seems to fall apart, something that Ty has yet to see from him so far. Pink not retaining his composure and falling apart in front of him, even deflecting…..And still no answer….But he figured…that no answer was in itself an answer of sorts.

Pink had literally no presentable reason for what he said before, unless of course the Espeon magically turned into a saint and then turned back once Ty followed along. But it made sense. It just meant there was no reason, and it was something no normal pokemon would do under those circumstances. All of it just kept telling him that Pink was not a normal pokemon, not a pokemon at all, just a figment of his Imagination trying to keep Ty in here. So Magic wasn’t real, Pro-B wasn’t real, that Bitch wasn’t real, and Pink wasn’t real. All just entities made up by his subconscious, maybe all representing something within him.

Magic would probably be his inner weakness, properly emphasized by her having an illness. Possibly even the need to comforted, seeing as how everyone of his other figments tried to help her. So her dying would have to mean something also….but he couldn’t think of it right now.

Pro-B was fairly easy to distinguish now that he thought about it. Ty’s desire to be a hero like he thought his father was all bottled up in Pro-B, up to the point of unbridled courage, if not sometimes misplaced. But he was also eccentric, basically the opposite of Ty, because the grass type wasn’t afraid to be judged through his actions, something Ty could never do. Probably meant that Ty wouldn’t be able to be the hero he always wanted to be without allowing himself to be judged more, and not dwelling on it so much.

Vani…maybe there was a reason he liked her so much. She was friendly, outgoing, maybe a bit nervous sometimes, but over all motherly. She reminded him of how his mother acted around him and his siblings. Vani was also able to make friends with everyone in the group, even get on Pink’s good side. While he stayed in that hole (and technically still stayed in it right now) to shun everyone, and push all forms of relationships out, Vani went out of her way to try to form and keep those relationships. If he wanted to have any form of friendly disposition, he hoped to have at least a fraction of what hers was like. And she died also. Died as soon as he left her alone. Maybe because she wasn’t meant to be alone…seeing as she as supposedly an extension of his mind, then her being left alone made her revert to being like Ty; alone, introverted and maybe even dead inside.

And Pink, he can just guess at what that espeon personified. The parts that he idolized about his father, all taken in and over exaggerated, and slightly twisted up into a self centered pokemon. Ty would love to not care what others think, to be able to walk around without doubt at every step, and Pink took that to an extreme. As well as being quick-witted, Pink has that nailed, but does it to the point of being a jerk sometimes. His mind most likely made Pink up so that Ty would not want to leave. To stay forever in here, to keep the figment going. It made sense, why would Ty want to leave when people who reminded him of his father where all around him?

And lastly there was that Bitchy Quilava…She was cold and ruthless, and mostly blunt. Not allowing Ty to dance around subjects or avoid the truth. He really didn’t like her, maybe even hated her. Which was kind of strange now that he looked at it… Yeah, she was mean when he heard that Magic first died, and was just plain old cold to him. But she never really did anything to warrant hatred, just maybe extreme dislikement…For some reason he was hating on her, as if he wanted himself to detach from her, to not associate with her. But why? Then it hit him, she was ruthless also, and the opposite of the way Pink made him feel. And….Pink was trying to keep in here….by making Ty get away from that hound and that human, who were going to kill Ty….

Maybe that was the only way to get out of here. He already figured out this wasn’t real, so that wasn’t enough to escape, so maybe the shock of death would make everything go away, and let him wake up. Maybe….this ruthless bitchy quilava was the one who would do that, kill Ty, and thereby freeing him.

So that was it, he get her to kill him. Or at least kill him subconsciously.

And judging by the fact that she kept on walking, going along with her is what he needed to do to get this nightmare over with.

“Whatever, it doesn’t matter anymore, lets catch up to the Bit-…the quilava.”

Best not to let his subconscious figure out that he has it all figured out. Unless of course it knows because he knows…It was all confusing, best to try to get killed as fast as he could or else he might start to over think things again.

((Sorry about the block of text. Not really sure where I'm going with this...sort of just happening.....but i am liking it |D))

Legends, this was boring. What insanity or idiocy had made her want to tag along with these misfits was surely a mistake; a move fueled purely by her own pride. Ripley was out of the mountain, yes, but in comparison to this open, small valley, the caves were a much better choice. She knew how to work in the dark, how to maneuver in the tight little crevices and cracks of such a place, but here... Wounded and exposed, she was out of her element. Her eternal frown scowling up at the brightening sky, she sat, facing away from the quarrelling eevees. She had no interest in their spat; words tended to bore her. A sigh escaped her as her eyes watched a large cloud lazily roll by. What was she doing...?

It was then she spotted it. A large, white form, grandiose wings flapping casually to keep it going. Her head slightly tilted, unable to recognize such a creture. The hell was that? She quickly realized it was a bird, but what kind still eluded her. She followed it with her eyes and head as it flew over and settled where the other half of the team had been left behind. Now why would it rest there? Were the clefairy gone? She stood, facing the way they'd come when more words caught her ear.

“Whatever, it doesn’t matter anymore, lets catch up to the Bit-…the quilava.”

Her neutral expression of curiosity fell back into a scowl as the eevee's words sank in, but a confusion settled over her. Why was that little brat wanting to catch up with her? Everyone had already expressed their distate for her -and rightly so- so... the hell had just changed? She looked back to the bird, whose elegant neck was just barely visible, and sighed. "Something just landed," she commented flatly, limping back toward them. "Your buddies might still be, you know, alive."

The new trio didn't have nearly as many of the wretched pink nuisances to worry about as it had been when Amalas was alone, but with her knife on the far side embedded in the skull of a Clefable there wasn't much left for her other than basic martial arts. A strange twist of fate granted them with a white streak cutting through a couple of the fiends before gliding to rest gracefully near the moss-haired human. “Mornin’,”

Dremus eyed the strange bird, not really sure what to make of the nonchalant way he greeted them after such a brutal display. "Hi..." he murmured in reply, nothing really else to add other than to look away a few times as the remainder of the faeries advanced. "Sorry to cut the into short but..." Dremus watched as Amalas sent a swift kick to one leaving him an opening to crunch his fangs down on the neck of the one behind it, tossing it away. "...we are a little busy."

Prophet Blade nodded to the wolf, then began to get to work. Pulling back one arm against the other, he pulled both arms back as far as he could, bending at the elbows. Then, he quickly jabbed forward, head down. The attack caught a large Clefairy square in the gut, it's eyes red and bloody. Pulling his arms out of the corpse, he spun around, slicing another Clefairy with a Leaf Blade. He drifted around, cutting down the little buggers whenever they crossed his path. He never strayed far from the Human and her companion, however. He kept careful watch in case the dog let one slip by mistake. That woman had saved his life, and he owed her now. He intended to pay in full.

Sweeping his arms around like the blades they were, he began to find comfort in the rhythemic dancing motion he moved in. It wasn't that he found the killing pleasurable- far from it. But something about what he was doing felt... Heroic. It seemed to fit. He was finally doing something, finally helping someone. Maybe he couldn't have saved Magic. Maybe he couldn't have saved Vani. But he could save the human. He would save the human.

A streak of light caught his eye. No, not light, just something white, reflecting the early sunlight. A bird. Attacking the Clefairy. "Woohoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!" Pro-B shouted, continuing to fight. "Reinforcements!" At this rate, he may begin to get positively happy! Oh boy, how he could use that!

((I'm trying to... erm... *cough* bring Pro-B back to his roots. :]))

“Whatever, it doesn’t matter anymore, lets catch up to the Bit-…the quilava.”

Pink couldn’t help but flinch at Typhus’ eventual response, his sudden aloofness having far too strong an impact than he’d expected. Staring at the youngster a moment, searching the few memories of his childhood spent in the kid’s company, the Espeon eventually shook his head, defeated. As much as he wanted to deny it, ignore the fact that they shared the same blood; the scruffy psychic couldn’t abandon the kid. Estranged for years with no real desire to understand his mind better, Charlie found himself entwined in a mystery of his own, re-awakened emotion. Fucking fantastic… He thought glumly, ear twitching as he watched the Eevee trot on ahead.

"Something just landed. Your buddies might still be, you know, alive."

Attention shifting to the limping female, Pink strained past her to catch the occasional glimpse of pink feather. There was no doubt in his mind that was Garland, but last time he checked, the guy had been white. Of course, there’d always been the occasional splatter of blood betraying his dark occupation, but he was usually notorious about good hygiene. Whiskers twitching, Pink found himself stood awkwardly between Ripley and Typhus, for once, unable to make up his mind. He knew what he wanted to do – fuck right off, let the whole lot of them die in some heart-breaking accident and be rid of them for good. But guilt was a real fickle bitch.

Hissing, the feline eventually turned to his younger sibling, his expression a strange concoction of muted pain and impatience – as if the idea of his instincts faltering was translated as a physical agony.
“Ty,” He started, firmly. “Do you want to go back and help?” It was a blunt question, almost a demand as the Espeon shuffled on the spot, uncomfortable. It wasn’t often he asked for another’s opinion, let alone a decision. He could hear Pro-B crying joyously somewhere in the background, his nerves partially set at ease at the thought of the battle’s odds swinging in their favour. Still, his attention was unmoving from Typhus. [b]“Come on – you decide, kid,”

--



"Hi... Sorry to cut the into short but... we are a little busy."

Garland laughed at the canine’s greeting, a grin brightening his features as he watched the creature battle in perfect unison with the human aside him. The bird was impressed. Their teamwork was practically faultless, a generous pile of corpses littering the area about them and the canine still managed to offer a few words of welcome.
“Oh, I understand,” The Swanna called from afar, slamming a pair of undead in the wall with a concentrated Water Pulse – their limbs suddenly growing fragile as water sought to unhinge them in a bloody spurt. He flexed his wings, tossing a smile over to the dark-type. “Never a moment’s peace these days, eh?”

"Woohoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! Reinforcements!"

If the avian hadn’t been curious before, his attention was now thoroughly snatched as the caped mantis’ excited bellow – what a welcome! Garland emitted a short chuckle when his beak was free of Clefairy intestine, turning momentarily to the Leavanny to offer a curt bow – wings splayed in mimicry of the human gesture.
“Charmed,” It was as if the bird was oblivious to his surroundings, completely at ease as only a slight shift in his voice gave evidence of his fatigue. Still, Garland was famously polite. It was the shock factor, the ability that such a charming eccentric that made him so delightfully dangerous.

It was official, Pink was the most confusing of all the figments of his imaginations by far. There seemed to be absolutely no logic to the espeon at this very moment, because all assumptions of the pink pokemon was being demolished before him, further adding to the Ty’s belief that he was in fact just a projection. Because no sane pokemon would flip-flop so much, it was unprecedented.

Hell, even the bitchy Quilava was showing strange signs of companionship. Yeah, she didn’t really sound as if she wanted to immediately go back and rescue everyone, but the fact that she brought it up was making Ty’s head spin right now. To make it worse, Pink was throwing all the decision making on him, totally ignoring the quilava’s opinion on the matter. Ty was literally being forced to play the leader right now, even if for just this decision. Under normal circumstances, Ty would be loving the chance to be the leader, to step up to the role, just like his father would have mostly likely done….But these weren’t normal circumstances.

What would father do?

But then it came back to Ty, this wasn’t real, none of it was, so there was literally no point in asking himself that, because it didn’t matter what his father would do. If anything that’s what his mind wants him to do, to play out the role of hero and leader that Typhus always wanted, to become like his father in this imaginary world, making him step closer to endless fiction. But as far as he knew, his father would have never gone into a state of delusion and created an entire imaginary world filled with personifications of his mind, so his opinion didn’t matter right now.

Ty was on his own, in uncharted territory….

Those pokemon they left behind where just illusions, and despite the fact that he had formed an attachment to Pro-B…..they could not die, because they weren’t even alive to begin with….So there was really no need to save them.

But what was really bugging him was the fact that Pink now wanted to give Ty the chance to save them…When he had been the one to convince Typhus to run….And the bi-…..quilava also presented Typhus with the chance. Which was even more confusing seeing as she was supposidly to be the one to free him, the one with the highest chance to kill him and stop this illusion. The only logical reason was that they were trying to make Typhus get attached to the other figments, in order to keep him attached to this place, to make him not want to leave.

Arceaus how he wished he could just off himself and end it now….but the mere thought of trying to kill himself made him freeze up, he would never be able to actually do it. He needed someone to do it for him….And while going back to that human and that hound who they were fighting a minute ago seemed like the most reasonable choice, he didn’t want to. Nothing so far has been reasonable, so why would it start being all of a sudden? Based on what has happened so far, if he went back there now, something absurd will end up happening; like finding a new figment, or everyone would magically start getting along with the human and the hound….

No, Typhus didn’t want to go back just to end up having to be given new figments of his imagination to get attached to. And then have to question everything they say and do just to try to make sense of things…

“No… let’s just keep going.”

Typhus already started walking the way they were heading before he stopped them. He made up his mind, trying to get out of the cave always seemed to be put on hold for one thing or another, like it was trying to be stopped by the world around him. So doing what his mind didn’t want him to do was Ty’s best option, he needed to get to the Cerulean City Exit.

But knowing his luck, everyone one of those he was ditching at the moment would end up rejoining them just as they would exit the cave….

((Paranoid Typhus is concocting all sorts of insane theories :\))

It didn't surprise her when the scraggly espeon went to the eevee, uncertainty clear as day on his bedraggled appearance. She watched, face set on irked as the former posed his question, “Ty,” He started, firmly. Huh. This kid's name was "Ty"? She hadn't paid enough attention or care to learn it earlier. Maybe I can stop calling him 'Eevee' and 'Kid'. “Do you want to go back and help?”

There was a long, weird pause, and for a moment, Ripley wasn't entirely sure whether the Ty kid was all there upstairs. His face was a strange mixture of apathy and... something else she couldn't quite put her paw on. Too busy staring at him, studying him, she started a little from his abrupt reply.

“No… let’s just keep going.”

Well, that was unexpected. Staring at the slowly retreating form of the eevee kid and then glancing behind her to the others, she wasn't sure what to make of the situation. Well... it really wasn't her place, was it? Shrugging, she glanced to the scruffy espeon and limped after her potential meal, still set in her determination to one day fulfill that silent contract of eating him.

While she couldn't understand anything he was saying the Leavanny's enthusiasm at seeing the new arrival had Amalas smiling. He was an interesting character, to be sure, and his high morale gave her the encouragement to keep fighting. She was fairly decent with hand to hand combat but more than a few times she wished her knife wasn't still sitting so far away, still buried in the head of the Clefable, but she didn't for an instant regret throwing it. It had saved the leaf creature's life and he in kind was helping her. A fitting trade in her mind, one blade for another.

Dremus could see the renewed vigor in his Companion and set to work keeping her safe, but she wasn't able to do much without a weapon. Her arm was still bleeding from the continuous strain of fighting and the scent was keeping them on her more so than the rest of them, the undead drawn to the fresh blood. They needed to end this and fast. "Hey new guy! You got anything under those feathers to even the odds?" They needed to get rid of as many of these bastards as possible so he was hoping the bird had a good air attack to do just that. He could keep the rest of them safe with his Protect.

The newcomer was polite and heroic, causing Prophet Blade to smile even more as he fought. He liked this bird. He would make an excellent friend! Twisting his body around, he cut an attacking fairy in half, and continued his spin to face his original direction. Flaring his cape out, he copied the bow the bird had displayed. "My name is Prophet Blade, but you can call me Pro-B!" He said, laughing as he whipped upwards and to the left, narrowly dodging another attack. "Welcome to the team!"

Despite the dreadful situation, Prophet Blade still seemed to have a positive outlook. In the back of his mind, a whispering voice barely registered, asking why he had been so depressed when the others were in similar situations, but had no fear for himself. Was he stupid? The voice was easily supressed, however, and he continued fighting. He was a hero. Heroes had no need for self-pity, and they certainly were allowed to grieve for their friends. Cheerily, he added one thought to his mind. He would never have to grieve again, because he would protect all of his friends. Forever.

"Hey new guy! You got anything under those feathers to even the odds?"

Garland, content with the gory battle around him, hadn’t thought the others to be tiring. Still, he was in position to deny them of a moment’s peace – he had an ace-in-the-hole after all. Grinning at the hound, he huffed, feigning disappointment.
“I personally prefer Garland to ‘new guy’,” He replied nonchalantly, kicking the limbless carcass of an undead away from his bloodstained form. In a swift movement, the Swanna had extended his wings, pink feathers bristling in anticipation. He heard the Leavanny’s introduction somewhere in the background, taking a moment to acknowledge Pro-B with a curt tilt of his slender head. What a peculiar name… Suits the guy.

Chuckling at his own inner musings, Garland was pleased to find the majority of the undead sided away from his battling companions, making his situation significantly easier.
“Stand back,” He warned gently, his tone more of a polite suggestion than the order it truly should have been. Still, the avian gave little warning. Not a moment later, his wings were beating heavily a Hurricane attack whipped up in seconds and sent flying towards the undead horde. The creatures were swept off the feet, giving strangled cries as they were launched out of vision – the darkness enveloping their writhing forms.

The Swanna’s lowered his wings calmly, expertly concealing his weariness. Still, he’d helped. The area was practically vermin-free now, the majority of the creatures swept away by fierce winds to leave only a few stragglers hobbling into the shadows. Garland smiled to himself, ruffling his feathers as he felt his energy drained. It would be awhile before he could whip up another Hurricane. Still, there were more pressing matters to attend to, namely introductions.
“Well, that was delightful,” The bird chuckled sarcastically, turning to face the trio of pokémon remaining. “Name’s Garland. Do forgive my intrusion, but I never did like to miss out on a party,” A pink blur in the distance soon distracted the Swanna. Remembering the tri of creatures he’d passed on arrival, their forms blurred in the distance, Garland shook his head, speaking eloquently. “I take it they’re with you – or they were with you. You know, I was never one for cowardice. Do allow me to deal with such… scoundrels – it’s the least I could do for you weary heroes,”

Not taking no for an answer, the Swanna began waddling towards the second gathering, demeanour pleasant through the fresh layer of gore darkening the pink.

---

“No… let’s just keep going.”

Pink was a little taken at Typhus’ eventual, hesitant response – yet his words possessed a previously disguised severity that alarmed the psychic. He shifted uncomfortably, glancing to the fire-type to see her sharing his quiet confusion. Still, the kid had replied with the best possible answer. He didn’t have to fight, didn’t have to wait around for an extra helping of idiocy – in honesty, it was the best scenario for the cowardly cat.
“Well… fantastic,” The Espeon forced a grin, finding himself speaking to himself as the other two had begun walking ahead. Watching their slow retreat, the cat gave a defeated huff – moving to follow when a voice rang out, unbearably snobbish, behind him.

“Well, look who it is…”

The Espeon turned, half annoyed to find Garland had thought it necessary to converse with him. He grinned uncomfortably at the bird, feigning enthusiasm as his eyes wandered over the creature’s bloodied form.
“I’m surprised you’re still knocking about,” The bird shrugged, amused. Pink bristled, tail lashing at the charming insult, though he kept his cheery façade knowing his company’s true nature. It was all very misleading. Garland was an excellent killer, a coldblooded bastard when he wanted to be – the feline had learnt to watch himself around the eccentric bird.
“Well, you know me, Garl – I’m just full of surprises,”
“Indeed,” Garland looked bored, looking past the cat to catch sight of the fleeing duo – a Quilava and an Eevee. “Not recruiting more cowards are we, Charles?”

Mr. Pink spluttered loudly, forcing a terrible coughing in a vain bid to mask the name the bird had already uttered. Praying that Ty had been out of earshot, the cat shot Garland a deadly glare, the anger seeping away as he remembered who he was trying to threaten. Instead, his bulging, blue eyes were pleading.
“Pink,” He insisted in a desperate whisper. “Pink, Garland. Mr. Pink,”
“Oh come now,” Garland snorted, laughing at the cat’s desperation. “Don’t tell me people are still trying to kill you?”
“I… y’know just like… my privacy,” Pink lied, unable to admit that his identity couldn’t be revealed to a certain estranged sibling. He didn’t particularly care if the others knew, but it was simply too risky to go flaunting ‘Charlie’ when the kid was in such close proximity. Garland raised a brow sceptically. “Please, Garl. Just do this, for me – yeah?” The bird sighed, nodded his head limply though making a mental note to discover the route of this unnecessary anonymity.

Letting the matter drop, Garland cleared his throat and called to the retreating figure of the Quilava and Eevee.
“Excuse me,” He bellowed, voice refined and aristocratic – almost akin to a displeased teacher. “Where do you think you’re darting off too in such a hurry? Don’t be led astray by some flea-bitten alley cat, Pink’s a notoriously bad example. Aren’t you, Pink?”
“Hey wai-“
“Yes, quite,” He interrupted dryly, moving swiftly on, addressing the duo in the distance. “Now, come on over, hm? Nothing’s going to hurt you,” Garland smiled almost kindly, though a certain oddity played on his tone; almost as if a threat lurked beneath the nobility. He paused, sighing. “Please, don’t make me beg…”

Ripley had stopped once she'd heard the fluttering of wings behind them, spotting the large white bird from earlier settle down beside the creepy, bug-eyed espeon. Her normal glare narrowed with skepticism, as Pink was... not the most courageous of folk; their fight with the clefairy had taught her that much. Frowning, she tossed a glance to the still walking eevee and muttered, "Hey. Look. He's not running away like a little chickenshit."

The epseon was whispering something, but unfortunately, Ripley's hearing wasn't so stellar as to pick up what it was. From the look of it, he was begging for his life. Or something. “Oh come now,” the bird scoffed, “Don’t tell me people are still trying to kill you?” Huh. Maybe not the case, then.

“I… y’know just like… my privacy,” ...Privacy? Ripley's frown deepened and her ears flicked backward. So... what the hell was this guy wanting to hide? What information was there to hide from a bunch of survivors? A stash of food, maybe? Clean water, shelter? But if Pink had had any of that, then why would he be out and about traveling the dangerous roads? Something definitely didn't make sense, but Ripley was bound and determined to find out what the hell it was by beating the shit out of him. “Please, Garl. Just do this, for me – yeah?” The bird sighed and nodded, silently dropping the matter.

“Excuse me,” He called, causing Ripley to flinch at the sudden change in volume. “Where do you think you’re darting off too in such a hurry? Don’t be led astray by some flea-bitten alley cat, Pink’s a notoriously bad example. Aren’t you, Pink?”
“Hey wai-“
“Yes, quite,” He interrupted dryly, not allowing Pink to finish. Well, that was one way of shutting him up. “Now, come on over, hm? Nothing’s going to hurt you,” Ripley's glare stayed firm as something in his voice tipped her off to... something else. Something lying beneath that pomp and circumstance his voice was laced with. His superior, distinguished accent had a shadow, a shadow that Ripley had been somewhat familiar with. Silent threats? “Please, don’t make me beg…”

The quilava scoffed, glancing to the eevee. She was still wounded, and so killing him out in the open with an audience wasn't an option even on a good day. But if she turned and he didn't... she'd lose that piece of her dignity forever. Still, the kid seemed a little swayable, and so maybe someone could convince him otherwise. It looked like the bird was going to, anyway. She began to limp back the way they came, toward Pink and his buddy. She paused when she stood before them, looking over the swan and espeon with a scrutinous eye. "...So, how do you know this guy? I didn't know you actually had friends. Some... boyfriend of yours or something?"

More pokemon to add to the mix, Ty’s imagination was just getting out of hand creating all these extensions of himself…. He would assume at least 4-5, but this many all at once? His mind surely must be going into overdrive right now. This new one happened to be a bird, maybe one to replace the image of Magic….great…

Ty could only remember the time when he wished for company and to make connections. But that was what it was now, just memories of how he used to feel….or still would have felt if he were talking to actual, living pokemon. He was just not enthusiastic about meeting new figments of his own mind. The more he thought about it the more it just made him upset. Because any interaction between him and them would literally be Ty talking to himself….further exemplifying that he was crazy. But to not to do so would mean tipping his mind off that he was on to his own little game….

What would fa-

…..

No…..

What should I do?

Ty wanted to keep going, to just avoid any distractions and just try to get out of this cave. That or try to see if the theory about the quilava was right, and see if he can get her to kill him. But from the events that where happening next, he was tempted to throw out that theory entirely.

The bird immediately went to Pink, and judging by how they talked, they obviously knew each other. Which just made Ty roll his eyes, that means this figment was made specifically to help out Pink in keeping Ty alive….another hurdle thrown in the mix.

He was too far to hear everything, but they weren’t exactly whispering, and Ty was still an eevee with large ears, even if one of them was bent. So the words, “Garl-.”, “Charles”, “Garland”, “Mr” and “Kill” still caught Ty’s attention. None of which mattered to Ty though, those two were made from his mind, even if a word or two seemed familiar to the eevee, it was irrelevant, since they most likely knew everything Ty would know on some deeper level.

The bird ended up calling to them both, and of course it was the friendly sort to want to make all sorts of introductions. What really threw him off was the fact that the bit-….the quilava actually went back to talk with them. If she was his evil and ruthless counterpart, then she shouldn’t be off trying to make friends, everyone basically hated her, that was a fact. So why would his mind try to change things up?

Ty was giving up on her as his savior. And by the mere mention of “…Some... boyfriend of yours or something?" Ty knew he was not going to stay to hear the rest of that. He could only shudder at the implications from that development, and what it would mean since she would still be a figment of his mind. Something like that that quilava was in fact Ty’s repressed sexual urges or something similar to that… Which would explain why she would immediately go to that line of thinking, even in a joking manner. And why she was flirting with Pink earlier.

Crap….

Ty had completely forgotten about that until now. That Bi-…that Quilava and Pink where flirting before. Back then he didn’t know the truth, so he thought nothing of it. But now…it just had all sorts of underlined complications attached to it. Ty already figured out that Pink was an over-exaggerated version of the values he sought in his father, and now that he was thinking as that quilava as his repressed sexual side finally being expressed….It just spelled a whole lot of trouble knowing that it was specifically flirting with the one who was most like his ideal father. Made Ty cringe, and try to block out what that would mean if he thought on it too long, and what implications that would have on his whole life, seeing as he always dreamed about his father…

Typhus didn’t want to stay see where else this would lead, he just turned back to the way he was walking, and hurried his pace. He was not going to stand around and witness more perverse inner desire personification that his mind cooks up!


((Written in haste, saw that i was skipped, so rushed to post before more people posted and it became too late |D))

Prophet Blade continued fighting, cutting whatever crossed his path. A quick command by the newbie caused him to turn however. Stand back? He thought to himself. Why not? Chuckling, he dashed backwards, just as a wave of wind crushed the area he had been standing. In moments, the undead were almost completely gone! The survivors all were running away. They won! Throwing back his head, Prophet Blade couldn't suppress a yell of success. Bringing his head down, he caught the newcomer's formal introduction. Shaking his head at Garland's apology, he smiled as wide as he could. This guy had saved them perhaps hours of work!

He didn't try to stop him when he flew off after the others either. He had been wondering why they had left in the first place. They weren't cowards, they had been through too much already to be. So why run away like that? Was it the human? The thought confused him. Dashing after Garland, he managed to catch up towards the end of the conversation. However, from what he could gather, this was not the bird's first meeting with Pinkie-Pie. That only caused Pro-B to grin even more. They had found a good friend in Garland, for sure!

"...So, how do you know this guy? I didn't know you actually had friends. Some... boyfriend of yours or something?"

Garland chuckled, pleased that the Quilava had heeded his unsaid warning, returning to the group with a blunt greeting and looking for a reaction. Whilst it would have insulted any other heterosexual male, the Swanna was famously lax, casting a sideways glance to the disgusted Espeon. Pink spluttered a half-intelligible cry of protest, a frown descending over his bulging at eyes at such an insinuation.
“He wishes,” The avian grinned, flirtatiously. Extending a wing, he pulled the disgruntled feline close to his form in a loving embrace – Pink left growling moodily as Garland embraced his theatrical side. He looked down at the cat, watching him squirm as the tip of his wings lazily played with the psychic’s crooked whiskers. “I’m far too good for him,”
“Stop that!” Pink eventually snapped, thoroughly discomforted by the bird’s flirting. Shaking him away, feeling as if his masculinity had taken a most severe blow, Mr. Pink looked over his shoulder to find Pro-B had also played witness to the spectacle. Fantastic…

Whilst the Espeon was coming to terms with what would be an abrupt ending to his reputation amongst these strangers as a result of Garland’s teasing, the bird himself had moved on. Tilting his slender head to the fiery female, he returned to her initial question.
“We’re colleagues actually,” Garland admitted honestly, his smile charming. “I used to kill people and Pink would dispose of the bodies,” Always one for brutal admittance, the Swanna spoke nonchalantly as if he were discussing something as trivial as the weather. Pink, however, had begun choking. Forcing an awkward laugh from his fit of panic, he stepped in front of the swan in a vain attempt to dismiss his words as a bit of fun.
“You-You’re such a joker, Garland,” He forced an unconvincing laugh, smiling uncomfortably to his audience whilst shooting a subtle, warning glare to his feathery companion. “Such a funny joke,” Garland, choosing not to accept the hint, merely shrugged.
“Eh… I take pride in my work,”

So enwrapped with Garland’s appearance, Mr. Pink had hardly noticed Typhus’ absence. Frowning as realization hit him, he strained past the female to catch sight of the youngster’s silhouette in the distance.
“Damn it. Where the hell’s he going?” He grumbled aloud, his worsening mood only heightened by the stubborn canine’s absence. Of all the creatures he actually wanted to survive, it seemed his choice was proving tough to handle. Huffing, annoyed, Pink took off after the Eevee, intending to coerce him back to the safety of the psychopathic group. “I’ll go get ‘im,” Garland remained behind, his attention captured by this sprinkling of curious creatures.
“So… Prophet Blade,” The swan turned to regard the spritely mantis. “What’re you doing up here? And who’s your lady friend?” He smirked, gesturing to the cynical Quilava.

Eventually catching up to his sibling, Pink trotted alongside the youth as he spoke.
“Hey, kid!” He started between pants, worn out by a quick jog. “Where you goin’? They may be a bunch of freaks, but they’re pretty strong. They like ya too, y’know – th-they’ll protect you,” Receiving no response, the Espeon caught glimpse of the youth’s dark expression and was instantly taken back, shocked that he was capable of wearing bitterness so well. Snorting, it took a lot to subdue his own volatile temper at such a sight – instead managing a strained plea. “Wh-Why don’cha come back, eh? I’ll…. I’ll miss you – y’know, if… if you go…”

It seemed the bird really did have a trick up his wings as soon a Hurricane was ripping through the area and destroying what remained of the wretched beasts. His Protect was the only thing keep Amalas safe and once the winds passed they were both surprised to see both the swan and the leaf bug running off. "Well that's rude," Dremus muttered. Amalas patted his head and his heart swelled for his Companion, knowing full well that he almost lost her. The female soon began pulling out all the arrows she could and restocked her quiver before heading over to the Clefable and ripping free her blade. It took several tries to clean the gore off before she could sheathe it.

"Let's find the camp Dremus," she called out, heading into the mountain once more to find her clan. She passed by the ones who had fled the scene seemingly conversing with the two who had helped save her but she didn't stop to chat. While she was grateful for the leaf bug and the swan she couldn't speak to them even if she wanted to and Dremus didn't care either way so together they pressed on. They would find her clan and they would be home, wherever that was now.

((Leaving post, been fun guys!))

Damn it….why did his mind have to go to such lengths to try to keep Ty in here!?

He thought he was avoiding an unwanted situation by ignoring the bird and just walking on, to possibly go alone or even urge everyone else to the idea of actually leaving this cave, but nope. Everything had to become all the much more difficult, and Pink had to just run after Ty. The runaway Espeon, now running to Typhus and trying to keep him from running away. And to top it all off, the things that scraggy espeon was saying. His mind was just not taking it easy on Typhus at all.

“Hey, kid! Where you goin’? They may be a bunch of freaks, but they’re pretty strong. They like ya too, y’know – th-they’ll protect you, Wh-Why don’cha come back, eh? I’ll…. I’ll miss you – y’know, if… if you go…”

Dammit. Of all the possible things to say, Pink managed to choose those words, and form them together into a symphony of sentences that was almost suffocating Typhuswith emotions, causing him to stop in his place. Because that was literally what he had been wanting to hear for a while now. Ever since his mother died and all his siblings left him to go their separate ways….. He was basically looking for his Father because….well…he was the only one that Ty had ever known that didn't end up abandoning him. Yeah, maybe his father had never been there for Ty, but he also never abandoned him….And now here comes Pink, and tells him that there are pokemon who would stick up for him, and that he specially would miss Ty if he were to leave.

And it was finally dawning on him. That in a sense, Ty was abandoning these pokemon, just like everyone did to him….It made him think that maybe it would be worth it just to stay with them, to give into this illusion and become a part of it, and stay with these odd pokemon. If anything. he would probably be happier living in here than in the real world, seeing as he would never be in any real danger inside his own mind. And to tell the truth... he would actuall ymiss Mr. Pink, him and everyone else. If he were to leave, then he definitely would never see them again, because they would cease to exist….

He wasn’t exactly sure what would become of his body, which was most likely passed out in one of the holes he had dug, but logically; it would probably starve to death or something the longer Ty stayed here…Meaning choosing to stay would mean staying till he died..…And to tell the truth…a part of him would be okay with that, since it would still mean he would spend the last few days being happy and surrounded by pokemon who were not trying to eat him, but instead helping him to stay alive.

All of these incentives to stay; to live in his delusions, to keep going with Pink.

But he just couldn’t.

He wanted to, he wanted to so badly. But after he was nearly blinded by that beast, Ty had made a promise. He had promised his father that he would quit being a coward, that he would actually start living and not just running away all the time, that he would meet real pokemon and form real relationships. And although it was a promise made to an imagined up image of his father, it was still the only real thing Typhus had left, everything else was gone now.

So he had to say no to Pink, even if it pained him to do so.

“I…Can’t. I need to get out of here, I just….I just don’t belong, you know?” Tears where threatening to fall, it was only by some miracle that they did not leave his watery eyes. All of this would normally have been covered up by his dark glasses, but he had been neglecting them too much with all the commotion, so the gap that was made from them sliding down his face was enough to reveal full expression to anyone taller than him.

He finally pushed up his shades so that they where no longer falling down his nose. “Its just better if I just get out of here as soon as possible.”

And that was it, if Pink was still going to follow Ty, so be it, he had no way of stopping him, or his mind, from doing whatever it plans to do next. But Typhus was already
Speeding away to the entrance of the next segment of the cave, trying to escape the plaza as soon as possible. He didn’t slow down until the shadows of the cave enveloped him again, but he didn’t stop, just slowed down. To stop would mean to give up, and to accept the lies, even if they brought him joy.


((Ty went into the second part of the cave, which the plaza was dividing, he did not go backwards |D Oh! and tell me if these posts are just getting confusing as hell, and I'll tone it down |D))

“He wishes,” The bird grinned, his flirtatious reply getting onto the espeon's nerves very quickly. Ripley couldn't help herself a grin, as it was nice seeing the pervy cat get a little taste of his own unwanted medicine. “I’m far too good for him.” You sure are, Ripley replied inwardly. But then again, with this guy, that's not really saying much.

As the psychic cat struggled to regain what little dignity he had -which was funny, because Ripley firmly believed him to have absolutely none- the swan touched back on her original query. “We’re colleagues actually,” Garland admitted honestly, his smile charming. “I used to kill people and Pink would dispose of the bodies,” Ripley's eyes widened as a familiar note rang true in her mind. Well... that explained a few things.

“You-You’re such a joker, Garland,” Pink nervously interjected, his poor excuse for subtlety only proving the bird true. “Such a funny joke,” The swan simply shrugged, completely nonchalant with the normally confidential occupation.“Eh… I take pride in my work.”

Ripley could see the thought. Why hide it when you weren't in business anymore? The old heirarchies of old no longer mattered-- the plague had essentially stripped society down to two factions: the living and the undead. It was a great equalizer, even if it was because everyone had a great possibility of dying in the next five minutes. The quilava let a smirk cross her features. She liked this bird. "Oh... you too?" she replied smugly. "Can't say I expected to find any old pokemon after my own heart." She glanced to Pink, where her smirk faltered. "...I'm surprised you didn't just run away from the dead bodies."

“So… Prophet Blade,” The swan turned to regard the spritely mantis, who Ripley hadn't seen sneak up to them. “What’re you doing up here? And who’s your lady friend?”

"Name's Ripley," she offered herself, as she thought she hadn't given her name out before. She turned to the kid and cat up ahead and saw the eevee leaving. Her eyes narrowed. Leaving? That wouldn't do-- if that damn coward didn't go after him, Ripley sure would... and she'd finish what she'd set out to do in the first place.

As the sun beat overhead, the white-and-red furred Pokemon walked along; she had come too far to escape her past and the Undead and Infected Pokemon to stop now. She was tired and ever so hungry, and she had too much fur for this heat - she much preferred the frigid air from her homelands.

Roxy's stomach growled audibly and the ferret-cat growled back. "Quiet, damnit! The undead'll hear you, and then they'll have bellies full of us!"
She paused as she realized that she was talking to her own stomach. She sighed. It was this damned sunlight, beating into her brain and making her not think straight. The hunger probably wasn't helping.

That's when she saw it - the cave. And that's when she smelled them - the corpses. Smelling like copper and rotten flesh, the bodies had been mostly picked clean by who-knows-what, and Roxy wasn't sure what they were to begin with. Still, the cave seemed promising. It would shade her from that accursed sun, and maybe she'd find something to eat. She smiled to herself as she stepped around the mess, trying to avoid getting blood on her - smelling of blood would be bad; any Undead would smell it easily.

The cave was deliciously dark and so quiet that every time she stumbled on a pebble, the sounds of it clattering reverberated throughout. She began to wonder about what had killed the Dead by the cave entrance, and hoped that whatever had done it wasn't inside the cave. Normally, she'd be gung ho and ready for any foe that came her way, but she was sick and tired of this bullshit plague. She just wanted to eat something and cool off from the sun to make her brain stop being silly.

Her stomach growled a few more times as she stumbled along through the darkness. The first time, she stopped because she thought that it was an angry or Undead Pokemon growling at her, as the sound echoed all around her, but she quickly realized what it was. Then, she heard something that wasn't the growling.

She paused and perked up her ears - it was voices! She wasn't sure how far away the voices were, but there were definitely Pokemon in the cave. She wasn't sure what exactly to do, so she just sat on a boulder. "Fricking caves... If I go any closer, they'll surely hear my growlin'. But if I stay here, I'll fricking starve or go crazy!" She sat and pondered, scratching her head with her claws. This was quite the predicament.

((Gosh, I hope this is an acceptable introduction! If they're not still in the cave or wherever, someone please note me and I'll fix it. uwu It got a little hard to follow.))

Prophet Blade couldn't help but giggle at the interaction between Garland and Pinkie. They were quite a pair indeed. He raised an eyebrow, however, when the bird brought up their previous line of work. That sounded rather... criminal. While Pro-B had traveled for a long time with Pink, he didn't like to think of him having ever done bad things. Neither would he like to imagine his new friends killing innocents either. Luckily, he didn't have to dwell on it long, because Pink exposed it as the joke it was. Pro-B's grin quickly returned to his face, and he continued to watch the exchange. A joke.

When Pink ran off, he was left with Garland and the girl. When the bird asked about his other companion, however, his face went blank. Eyes wide, he tried to think. Had she actually introduced herself? He couldn't remember. Maybe he hadn't been paying attention at the time. Luckily, he was saved by her formal introduction. Moving quickily, he bent to the side, pointing at the Quilava. "This is Ripley!" He said, repeating her own words. Anything to be helpful!